NJDOT announces proposed Fiscal Year 2008 Capital Program

$3.3 billion to maintain and improve transportation network

(Trenton) Governor Jon S. Corzine and New Jersey Department of Transportation (NJDOT) Commissioner Kris Kolluri today announced the proposed Fiscal Year 2008 Transportation Capital Program. The $3.3 billion program funds $2.01 billion in NJDOT construction projects and $1.29 billion in NJ TRANSIT construction projects that will relieve congestion, improve the mass transit system, and increase the overall safety of the State transportation network.

“The Fiscal Year 2008 Transportation Capital Program will enact economic development by improving access to jobs and mass transit, advancing the ARC project and providing direct property tax relief through local aid,” said Governor Jon S. Corzine.

“Governor Corzine will significantly enhance the safety, reliability and economic power of our roadway network through the $3.3 billion Fiscal Year 2008 Capital Program- the most robust in New Jersey’s history,” said Commissioner Kolluri. “The Capital Program illustrates the Transportation Trust Fund’s ability to improve the quality of life enjoyed by New Jersey residents.”

The proposed program would be funded with $1.6 billion in state funding and $1.7 billion in federal funding. It complies with strict guidelines for capital expenditures outlined in Governor Corzine’s plan to reform, replenish and grow the Transportation Trust Fund (TTF), such as freezing at four percent the level of revenue used for capital maintenance projects and highway capacity expansions.

NJDOT’s program invests heavily in bridge and roadway preservation, safety, local aid and economic growth. It provides $543 million for bridge rehabilitation and safety upgrades. As part of NJDOT's longstanding commitment to Fix-it-First, $337.9 million will be devoted to roadway preservation, focusing especially on fixing deteriorated sections of our interstate highway network.

The program includes $98.7 million for NJDOT’s Safety First initiative, which includes the Median Cross-over Crash Prevention program, the Safe Corridors program, the Safe Routes to School program, and the new pedestrian safety initiative.

The Capital Program invests heavily in repairs to local roads, with $403.3 million in direct local aid to towns and counties for roadway improvements. Local Aid dollars will provide significant property tax relief to New Jersey counties and municipalities by funding road work that would otherwise be paid for with local property tax dollars.

In order to stimulate economic growth and alleviate congestion, the program provides $269 million to congestion relief projects as well as $13 million for Camden revitalization, $50 million for several projects in the Liberty Corridor and nearly $35 million for Meadowlands-area projects. The program provides enough funding to continue to advance preliminary engineering and property acquisition for THE Tunnel project.

NJ TRANSIT’s $1.29 billion Fiscal Year 2008 Capital Program continues the agency’s “Back to Basics” approach, investing in core transit infrastructure to maintain the State’s rail, bus and light rail system at a State of Good Repair. The Capital Program provides $566 million to address track replacement, bridge and tunnel inspections and improvements, security improvements, signal system upgrades, overhead power line and electric substation upgrades and other rail station and bus terminal improvements throughout New Jersey.

The program addresses critical rail rolling stock overhauls and acquisitions. The program includes funds to replace 230 Arrow III self-propelled 1970’s vintage rail cars. These cars operate primarily on the Northeast Corridor. NJ TRANSIT will also improve the reliability of rail service by initiating engineering for rehabilitating 99 Comet IV rail cars and replacing 42 over-aged diesel locomotives. The program also provides funding levels to support the replacement of 1145 transit buses in NJ TRANSIT’s fleet over the next six years as well as midlife overhauls of 650 transit buses and 76 Cruiser CNG buses.

The Fiscal Year 2008 Capital Program also invests in major bridge rehabilitation projects including the rehabilitation of the 100+ year old Newark Drawbridge, replacement of the North Jersey Coast Line Shark River Drawbridge approaches, the replacement of bridges along the Raritan Valley Line and initiation of preliminary engineering to replace the Northeast Corridor Portal Bridge.

In addition, the program provides funding for rail station improvements at Metropark Station, Newark Penn Station, New York Penn Station, South Amboy Station, Highland Avenue Station, Raritan Station, Roselle Park Station, Linden Station, Elizabeth Station and Wood-Ridge Station. NJDOT will also continue the construction of the Trenton Station, Newark Broad Street Station rehabilitation, Hoboken Ferry Terminal restoration, and Morristown Station historic restoration and accessibility improvements.

The Fiscal Year 2008 Capital Program enables NJ TRANSIT to continue to attack congestion by designing and constructing 1,000 spaces at Route 23, Wayne Park and Ride; 700 spaces at Edison Station; 600 spaces at South Amboy; and 50 spaces at Mount Arlington Station. NJ TRANSIT has designed or built 16,000 park and ride spaces since 2002.